An Xfinity box is a digital cable TV box that coverts analogue data signals being transmitted over cables into digital data that is processed on the television, with the Xfinity Box being the brainbox to watch Comcast cable TV. Providing all set up in a user-friendly way.
Consider access to TV listings, on-screen channel guide, program information, search tools, parental controls, etc. Also, it allows you the features of pause/play, record, rewinding your favorite shows, etc. An Xfinity Box not working is like being shut out of the world as the importance of the TV is underrated.
Unfortunately, there are times when the box develops faults like any other electronic device. Errors unforeseen can cause your Xfinity Box to break down at the most ill-opportune time.
Before any process, how do you know if your Xfinity box not working, yes, it would not turn on, or the channel might not change, the image might be frozen, the playback features may not work, et cetera.
Then you would wonder what steps to take to troubleshoot your device before you take it to customer services. And here, we’ll help diagnose and fix the issue.
How to Fix Xfinity Box not Working
When faced with a broken-down Xfinity box, the first thing that comes to your mind is to turn it off and turn it on again; then, try even harder by switching off from the wall bracket.
In some cases, this fix would work. In others, sadly not. There, you can go through more dynamic troubleshooting, like trying to resolve the issue via the app through a system refresh. Or you can simply restart from the Xfinity My Account App.
Power Source
When you notice that your Xfinity box not working, the first thing that comes to mind is to check the connection well. After all, it is power is the likeliest reason for gadgets not to come up.
Most especially when you have kids playing around, for that reason, it is imperative to check the power connection at the back of the device to ensure it is properly plugged in.
Now, check to see if you had switched it off by mistake. Also, make sure the power plug in the cable box is plugged in properly.
If this as it should be and you are certain, the wall socket is in perfect condition. You need to make sure that the Cable box is getting the appropriate power to work without any problems.
It will also make a lot of sense if you can con confirm if the television’s connection is fine; both the power and data cable might affect it.
Check Data Cables
After this above step is carried out and you find that the Xfinity box not working isn’t fixed, then proceed with this step.
On an Xfinity box, there are two cables carrying signals. One cable is the main connection that comes from the server and downloads transmitted data to the cable box. Whereas the other is the one is carrying digital data from the box to the television set.
To avoid the Xfinity box not working, you need to make sure both cables are properly plugged in, firmly, and not hanging loose.
You might notice that the cable connector might be a bit weak and, in such a case, replacement connectors would help. If this step can be achieved, then you should return to your seamless streaming.
Refresh/Restart the Xfinity Box
In some cases, your Xfinity box not working might not be physical but a bug. Your cable might wound up being stuck at a process or a program. This lag might cause a system breakdown that would cause your cable box to hand in and require a refresh.
Restarting the cable box should solve the issue for you. To do this, long-press the power button and then turn it back on. It will take about 12 seconds to restart. Or you can just unplug the power cable and plug it back in.
To refresh via the Xfinity remote, Press the A button on your remote control or visit the Help section in Settings. Pick the System Refresh icon, and press OK. Note that initializing a system refresh will stop TV broadcasts for about 10 minutes.
With rebooting, you are just restarting your device, hoping that the shortage of power would refresh the device to its working state. It keeps all prior information, and once it comes on. Try this first if you are reluctant about losing your previously stored data as they are maintained.
Reset the Xfinity box
If the above fails, it might happen that the box has had a more lingering bug in the settings. As it had been stated, most Xfinity box not working problems are usually software issues.
Thus, you will need to reset the Xfinity box not working. For all software issues, resetting is the ultimate solution and works for most cases malfunction. For a system reset, you will need to press and hold the power button for about 12 seconds.
Your Xfinity box screen goes blank, and a flash boot thereafter. Note you must continue to press the button till the boot comes on. After you reset, you wait as the Xfinity box reboot usually takes about 10 minutes.
You can reset also reset via phone application; this is available on both iOS and Android. After downloading it onto your smartphone, you can perform a factory reset from the comfort of your couch.
You can follow these simple steps to do a factory reset using the app:
- Open the app installed on your device.
- Search for Overview Menu; therein, you will find the TV option.
- Pick the device you need to troubleshoot
- Pick Troubleshoot and then select Continue
- Now, select System Refresh to reset Xfinity Cable Box
You can also reset with the use of the Xfinity remote with these steps:
- Press hold the power button of your box. The device must be turned on. There should be blinking green lights to confirm this.
- On the remote, press the power and menu buttons together; this will reveal the user settings.
- Press the Up direction and Down direction buttons at the same time to find the Restore Defaults option.
- Press the Right direction button, then press OK to start resetting
Unlike restarting, resetting refreshes your Xfinity device to its factory settings. This is reserved for when the restart fails to take the problem away.
A factory restores it to its initial settings, erasing all data. You can use this method straight away if you don’t mind losing saved data like settings and recorded programs.
Consult a Technician / Customer Service.
Having tried all the above solutions and the Xfinity box is still not working, there is a chance that you’ve encountered hardware damage.
This is not something that could be fixed at home, unfortunately, and the last resort is to take it to a technician or customer service. They will help with the diagnostics with more expert methods to see if the box is repairable and fix the issue for you.
Please ensure that you take it to an Xfinity authorized technician. This is stated because, at times, the box might suffer from permanent damage and require a replacement. This is something you might not enjoy if you patronize an unauthorized technician. Also, you will lose your warranty and will now have to purchase a new one.
Conclusion on How to Fix Xfinity Box not Working
Ideally, the aforementioned solutions should fix the malfunction; if it still does not, you should probably check on the Xfinity remote or your internet connection.